Hymn to the Viśvedevas
Rigveda III.56 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 3 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Come hither now, O Viśvedevas! The sacred fire doth burn most bright. The priests have gathered all around; the soma hath been pressed and poured. We cry to thee with voices raised; we lift our hands toward the sky.
O gods of old, O mighty ones! Ye dwell together in accord. The council gathers in the hall; the seats are set upon the high. Each god doth take his rightful place; each voice doth ring out strong and clear. Ye deliberate upon the fate of all the worlds both great and small.
The messenger doth fly between the heavens and the earth below. He carries word from god to man; he brings the blessing from on high. He gathers up the gods themselves and brings them to this sacred place. The divine assembly gathers now in answer to our holy call.
O Indra, thou dost sit on high, with Agni blazing at thy side. O Varuṇa, who holdest fast the cosmic law and all the bonds! O Mitra, gentle-hearted lord! O Aryaman, who guideth all! O Bhaga, who dost grant good fortune to the righteous and the strong!
The smaller gods and greater gods, the Ādityas all arrayed! The Maruts fierce with howling winds! The Ṛbhus wise in craft divine! The Aśvins twin, who ride at dawn! And all the gods beside them stand, a company beyond compare.
O Viśvedevas, now convened! We gather here before your thrones. Accept our worship; hear our prayer; grant us the blessings that we crave. Let harmony and peace prevail within our household and our land. For ever be your glory sung; for ever be your names adored.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda III.56
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
na tā minanti māyino na dhīrā vratā devānām prathamā dhruvāṇi |
na rodasī adruhā vedyābhir na parvatā niname tasthivāṁsaḥ || 1 ||
ṣaḍ bhārām̐ eko acaran bibharty ṛtaṁ varṣiṣṭham upa gāva āguḥ |
tisro mahīr uparās tasthur atyā guhā dve nihite darśy ekā || 2 ||
tripājasyo vṛṣabho viśvarūpa uta tryudhā purudha prajāvān |
tryanīkaḥ patyate māhināvān sa retodhā vṛṣabhaḥ śaśvatīnām || 3 ||
abhīka āsām padavīr abodhy ādityānām ahve cāru nāma |
āpaś cid asmā aramanta devīḥ pṛthag vrajantīḥ pari ṣīm avṛñjan || 4 ||
trī ṣadhasthā sindhavas triḥ kavīnām uta trimātā vidatheṣu samrāṭ |
ṛtāvarīr yoṣaṇās tisro apyās trir ā divo vidathe patyamānāḥ || 5 ||
trir ā divaḥ savitar vāryāṇi dive-diva ā suva trir no ahnaḥ |
tridhātu rāya ā suvā vasūni bhaga trātar dhiṣaṇe sātaye dhāḥ || 6 ||
trir ā divaḥ savitā soṣavīti rājānā mitrāvaruṇā supāṇī |
āpaś cid asya rodasī cid urvī ratnam bhikṣanta savituḥ savāya || 7 ||
trir uttamā dūṇaśā rocanāni trayo rājanty asurasya vīrāḥ |
ṛtāvāna iṣirā dūḻabhāsas trir ā divo vidathe santu devāḥ || 8 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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